Vivian's mother who was silent all along gasped slightly as she glanced at her daughter who also had on a paled expression.
"Oh... He went on a business trip father, and won't return anytime soon," Vivian replied softly with her head down, still trying to control her emotions.
"Hehe, business trip." The man scoffed. "Useless... You're both useless," he snapped while glancing between the mother and daughter, then strode out of the room.
After the man left, the middle-aged woman sighed again and turned to her daughter.
"Viv, why don't you go overseas for a few days__"
"No." Vivian shook her head while lightly rubbing her neck. Why would she go anywhere? She knew it was all that bitch's fault. If she wasn't in the picture, then she and Big brother would have been married for a long time.
Her mother sighed heavily and pressed a hand on the girl's forehead. "You should at least take the drugs dear," she said softly while glancing at the bedside table. Then slowly stood up and left the room.
Vivian stared at the closed door blankly while biting her lips as more tears streamed down her face.
She opened the bedside drawer and retrieved a necklace that had a heart-shaped pendant attached to it.
Opening the pendant, she lay down on the bed and stared at the picture for a long time. " You're only mine, Carl... I can't live without you" she whispered with a sad smile while many thoughts ran through her head.
********
"Where are you off to?" Lara chuckled as she watched the girl who is struggling to style her hair.
"To a friend's birthday party__ Argh! I can't do this." Clara whined and finally dropped down the brush. As her friend's boyfriend's birthday party, she knew she had to look presentable. However, without a video tutorial that would take almost thirty minutes, she couldn't style her hair.
"Mummy, you really look beautiful."
"Don't worry Mummy, your hair is perfect."
The twins said in their cute voices as they happily watched her from the bed.
"Awwn... thank you, babies." Clara smiled gratefully at the girls then turned toward the mirror and glanced at her hair which looked like a bed's nest with a sigh. She knew they were just trying to make her feel better.
Lara chuckled again then dropped her handbag beside the twins on the bed. She walked forward and grabbed the brush from the girl's hand, then started combing it and after she was done, she slowly applied some hair products before carefully styling her hair.
All that happened in a few minutes and Clara marveled at how beautiful her hair looks. "Lara, have you worked in a hair salon?"
"Nope." Lara shook her head with a chuckle. "I learn from video tutorials in my free time, you should also try that."
"Oh." Clara nodded then muttered, "thank you" and stood up.
"Let's go babies." She grabbed her bag and glanced one last time at the mirror, to make sure her makeup was okay. Then picked one of the twins and Lara also picked the other one, and they left her apartment.
They walked out of the gate, passing by the securities then hailed two taxis and Lara entered one, heading to the hospital while Clara entered the other one with the twins which took them to the address Mira had sent to her.
**Several minutes later**
The taxi came to stop at a very expensive residential area and Clara's brows knitted as she glanced out of the window. This place__ she couldn't pinpoint where she had seen it before.
The car dropped them in front of a bungalow and Clara noticed similar houses beside it.
"Clara!?"
Mira called out from a distance, breaking her out of her thoughts and she hurriedly picked the twins up and started walking toward the girl who was approaching them from a distance.
"Clara... thank God you made it." Mira sighed in relief and took one of the twins from her arms with a huge grin.
"Hi, babies." She kissed their cheeks happily and the twins giggled.
Her friend had told her about her new apartment and how she surprisingly found out that Lara was her new neighbor.
"Let's go," she said and Clara whose eyes were fixed intently on the houses broke out of her thoughts and they started walking forward.
After they entered the house, Clara's frown deepened as she glanced around the empty spacious living room.
"Mira, didn't you say it's your boyfriend's birthday party?," she said while putting down the little Mia on the large sofa.
"Where's the birthday guy and the guests?"
"Hehehe." Mira chuckled awkwardly then also dropped Lea on the couch. "The party will take place tonight, that's why the guests have not arrived yet."
"Oh, okay." Clara nodded slowly and sat down beside the twins.
"Yeah." Mira chuckled again and quickly went to the kitchen then brought them drinks and snacks.
"Here... please enjoy yourself," she said hurriedly after placing them carefully on the table, and then rushed upstairs with a dark expression.' That Zach.'
Clara's eyes followed her friend's back and she pursed her lips. She could have just informed her earlier then maybe she would have had time to finish drawing her comics before coming here.
She brought out her phone which had started ringing then saw Maya's number displayed on the screen. She sighed exasperatedly, knowing well the reason why her friend was calling again.
"Maya!?" She whined after answering the call then came her friend's mischievous chuckle from the other end and she frowned.
"Clara... can you believe it? My little bump had started showing," Maya boasted happily.
"Oh." Clara nodded, feeling grateful that it was not about the matchmaking topic.
"Your bump is supposed to start showing Maya." She chuckled at her friend's excitement then heard her continue.
"Clara... In just a few months now, my baby will come out. and you know what?"
Clara frowned, afraid of where the topic is going.